Denison Library collects books, journals and other material in the fine arts and interdisciplinary humanities.  Our holdings are particularly strong in modern and contemporary art; non-western European art; women’s studies; literary texts; world history; dance; and religion.

Recordings
Shelved in the Holbein Room are more than 700 records and tapes of the spoken word, poetry, drama, and prose, as well as approximately 500 music recordings. They are listed in the card catalog and in a separate index kept with the recordings. They may circulate for one week.

Collection Development

Acquisitions
Faculty and students who wish to recommend the purchase of materials to be located in Denison Library should forward brochures, flyers, reviews, a memo, or an e-mail to Judy Harvey Sahak.  Recommendations for acquisitions in Art should be directed to  Sheri Irvin.

Gifts
We welcome gifts of single items or large collections, and are grateful to donors who have helped build Denison's circulating and special collections over the years. Please e-mail Judy Harvey Sahak or telephone 909-621-8973.

Special Collections

Denison Library has extensive Special Collections including the Scripps College Archives, the Macpherson Collection (materials on the history of women), collections of western Americana, and the Rare Book Room which holds collections of rare books, fine bindings, contemporary fine printing and other book arts.  These collections are meant to be actively used by students as well as by more advanced researchers.  For more information telephone 909-621-8973 or e-mail us.

Click on the name of the collection to see a full description; this will take you to another page.  When finished reading, click on the "Back to titles-only list" link to return to this page.

Aubrey Beardsley Collection
Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning Collection
T.S. Eliot Collection
Frederic Goudy Collection
Alexa Fullerton Hampton Collection on the Eighteenth Century
Phil Townsend Hanna Collection of Californiana
The Louise Seymour Jones Collection of Bookplates
Ida Rust Macpherson Collection By and About Women
Addison M. Metcalf Collection of Gertrude Steiniana
The Howard-Miller and Ruth Lamb Collections of South and Latin American 
     Literature and Drama
John I. Perkins Rare Book Collection
Alexander Pogo Collection of Classical Antiquity
Rare Book Room
Ellen Browning Scripps Papers
Scripps College Archives
Scripps College Press Archive
Kimberly Stuart Papermaking Collection

How to access special collections materials

Denison Library has rich resources in the Rare Book Room, Scripps College Archives, and other special collections.  We invite you to take advantage of these holdings.  At the same time, the Library has a responsibility to protect and preserve these materials.  To reconcile these goals, the following rules must govern the use of our special collections.

Permission to examine Denison’s Special Collections materials will be granted upon application to the Librarian.  Permission is granted subject to any restrictions made by donors or depositors.  Researchers may be required to use microfilm or photocopies at any time.

All Special Collections materials are in closed stacks and do not circulate.  Items are paged by a staff member for researchers to read in the Browning Room only. 

Researchers must fill out call slips for material and show valid Claremont Colleges’ i.d. or other valid photo identification.  Researchers may have up to four books with them at a time at the table.

Many paging requests can be filled on demand.  Because of the locations of some of our collections, however, advance notice or a waiting period may be required for some requests for material.

All personal belongings, including jackets and purses, are held at the Circulation Desk; researchers may keep with them whatever paper and reference materials are necessary to do their work.  Personal electronic devices are prohibited unless research related. *Researchers should remove their personal belongings from Circulation whenever they leave the area.  Denison Library is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

Handle all items with care.  Do not write on, lean on, put weights on, or otherwise mishandle material.  You may be required to use a book support or another apparatus when using fragile material.  Only a librarian may cut uncut book pages.  Do not erase any marks from books or manuscripts. Library staff may deny a researcher use of material for improper handling.

Use only pencil; ink is not allowed at all.  Laptop computers are permitted; document scanners are prohibited. 

No eating, drinking (including water bottles and travel mugs), or smoking.  This is a Libraries’ wide policy.

Photocopying is done as time and staffing levels permit. There may be a wait for copying orders.

Manuscript and Archival Material--Researchers will use one folder at a time unless otherwise instructed by a staff member.  It is important also to retain the original order of papers inside folders. 

Photographs will be handled carefully, one at a time.  Researchers may be asked to wear cotton gloves while viewing photographs.

Materials may be “on hold” in the Browning Room for no longer than one semester; materials may be held for longer by arrangement. 

All special circumstances are subject to consideration and approval by a librarian.

Photocopy and duplication policies for special collections

Denison Library seeks to facilitate research and other scholarly activity in every way possible.  Photocopies of items in our special collections can be made, subject to the requirements of document preservation, copyright provisions, gift restrictions, and other constraints imposed by the condition or composition of materials.  Only Denison staff may photocopy special collections materials for researchers.  Photocopying is done as time and staffing levels permit. There may be a wait for copying orders.

Books:  No more than one chapter or 10% of the contents of a book may be copied (whichever is less).  However, books in fragile or brittle condition, or oversize books, may not be photocopied. 

Manuscripts:  A manuscript collection may not be photocopied in its entirety.  In general, no more than 10% of the contents of a collection may be copied.  Subsets of large collections that may constitute a subject collection by themselves fall under this same restriction.  The precise amount of copying that may be done is decided upon on a case-by-case basis by a librarian or by a designee.